Pages

Friday, February 14, 2014

Canberra

Recently we visited Canberra - our nation's Capital - to visit a couple of exhibitions that weren't coming to Melbourne.

We stayed at the Park Hyatt Canberra, which was excellent, and perfectly located close to all the things we were going to see. I highly recommend this as an accommodation option if you ever have to stay in Canberra.

Our first visit was to the National Gallery of Australia to see the Gold and the Incas exhibition. Gold and the Incas showcases the splendour of ancient pre-Hispanic cultures of Peru. More than 200 objects are included, from gold regalia, intricate
jewellery and striking vessels to elaborate embroidered and woven
cloths. It was very good and extremely interesting.

Our second excursion was to the National Library of Australia to see Mapping Our World: Terra Incognita to Australia. This exhibit shows rare and unique cartographic treasures from around the
world. Discover how European explorers unravelled the secrets of the
great south land.

Highlights of the exhibition include the magnificent Fra Mauro Map of the World; the remarkable Boke of Idrography
presented to Henry VIII; an intricate world map by the Benedictine monk
Andreas Walsperger (1448); a fifteenth-century Ptolemy manuscript;
magnificent and controversial ‘Dieppe’ charts; one of only four
surviving copies of Mercator’s groundbreaking 1569 projection, and
original manuscript charts by Pacific navigators including Louis de
Freycinet, James Cook and Matthew Flinders. We came home with three replica maps, they were that good.

Whilst in Canberra we visited Parliament House, which is quite beautiful. You can go in any time and wander around.

We also went to the Australian War Memorial. My father is a Vietnam veteran and he was keen for us to see the Vietnam exhibit. It was fascinating and truly one of the best war memorials we've been to around the world.

This is the view of Parliament House looking straight down Anzac Parade, past the old Parliament House to the new Parliament House.

Canberra is very nice to visit although I wouldn't want to necessarily live there.